4 weeks post hip op

Bones, joints and muscles
1

hi everyone out there who has just had a hip operation. I would love to hear how everyone is finding it. 

I myself was quite pleased that at two days post op was able to walk with 2 sticks and climb stairs ( if there was a hand rail) and was a sent home. I had no pain at all in my groin/hip just obviously discomfort of the healing scar which was to be expected.i was really happy .

But 4 weeks in I seem to be very anxious that things haven't moved on and I fact I feel less well than 2 weeks ago. 

1: My legs are still soooo swollen I can hardly bend my knees , my legs are too swollen to get those stockings on.it feels like I have a tight elastic band on the back of both knees stopping them bend, nurse just says it's a major op you will have swelling ,but this bad ? 

2: been getting sharp pains in my scar ,which apparently are just the nerves firing back up in there I have been told, didn't have any last night 😀

3: I have a bit of groin pain and some buttock pain which I didn't have for the first few weeks ,bit like old pre op pain so am walking slower and turning with even more care than before to stop this from happening. 

4: an annoying twitch on  operative leg bottom cheek twitching ,no pain but goes off on these strange spasms ,is this normal.?

5: still can't lift my operative leg whilst lying flat on the bed to do the work sheet exercise. Fine on the other leg . But it just won't move ,try several times a day but no movement at all. 

6: feel like my operative legs is going out slightly to an angle ,finding it so hard to walk with that foot forward ,it keeps wanting to turn out to balance me. 

I feel we are sent home with no extra follow on care other than surgeon check up at 8 weeks ,we get told to get moving and get back to normal ,but then again don't over do it . 

On a more positive note ,I was so worried I wouldn't be able to sleep on my back as I usually sleep on my stomach or sides but I have been sleeping really well slightly propped up with my v pillow so pleased with that as I really love my sleep 😀

Would love to hear from anyone who has had total hip op and there experiences .Would be good to help and support each other. 

Warm wishes 

suzie 

2

HimSuz. 

All youe symptoms are going thru THR heeling pains of THR. Stay with exercises and stop them when it hurts.mthe most effective exercise ate the glute squeezes. It stabalize sthe girdle muscle around the stimach tha goes to the kne on a wrap around. Walk exercise don't over do. The biggest mistake I did was after feeling better I would get over confident and over do and down for a few days. 

Many Heeling blessings sent your way.

keep posting your not alone  there's a lot of hippies with great advice and positive attitudes to help you along.

3

just got to keep going with the excercises and maké sure you are taking a good AntI inflamatary to help with your swelling your foot will go back to normal with excercises and physio. just remember there is no set time or process to heal everybody is different .

4

Hi Susie.

You are exactly where you should be by the sounds of it. In the first few weeks the nerve damage is numb. Like a bad burn. At first there is no feeling except recovery from the anathetic and the actual op.

I'm 8 weeks post op and saw Physio at 3 weeks. Then like you nothing until I saw surgeon at 8 weeks and he doesn't want to see me for another year.

The 8 weeks recovery has been a roller coaster. Each week a different pain in a different place. I found weeks 3 and 4 were worst.

This op is brutal ! I watched it on you tube. It takes up to 12 months to recover.

Physio and Surgeon were delighted with my progress but I still have a bit of groin pain and terrible pain in unopereated buttock. The reasons were explained. Nerve and muscle damage. Deferred pain to other areas.

On a positive note it will all get better in time. Keep positive. It will all be temporary and it is a roller coaster so hang on tight. Xxx

5

After my first THR I asked my surgeon wha happened to my bum. It was gone flatter than a pancake. 

Lots of exercises after THR is absolutely the key for successful recovery.

it took me about a year to get thru all the annoying and more than it tatting pain issue. But til this day imstillmsleep on my back?

the best part I still have my mobility and a better quality of life!

 

6

Hi , I have spasm as well . Wake me up during the night ,even im

Not sleeping still well. I went to see doctor and he gave me

Diazepam take 3 times a day and night 2 tablets. I do still have some but they are not so painful like before.. it will get better but all need time. I have good days and not good days. Trust ur body

U will be fine. . Hug hug Madla

7

I will be 4 weeks on Monday having had both hips replaced at the same time.

I went for physio today and while he is happy with my progress, my right side is weaker than my left, probably to do with that being the worse side pre op so I was using the left side more, therefore muscles where stronger.

I was amazed how wide my butt was following surgery, it seems flattened and pushed sideways! And my legs, well massive is the only word for them!

I have been doing my exercises in sets of 10 for each and doing that 3 or 4 times a day, taking the stockings off for an hour a day (as hospital said) the swelling from the knee up and particularly just behind the knee was awful and painful where the skin was so tight. Then all of a sudden they are going down, not completely yet but each day its a little better.

Sleeping was an issue on my back but I take pain killers before bed, as someone on here suggested and I only wake up once now.

All in all, the pain is minimal, certainly nothing like before the op. My 'wide load' is reducing and the two tree trunks I stand on are getting better!

Everyone is very different in the recovery progress, but when you think 'is this ever going to change' it will.

Sending positive healing thoughts to you xx

8

I hate those spasms. I took magnesium and used magnesium spray for them worked well for me.

sleeping seems to be the universal issue for most THR .its tough to sleep on backs and taking a pain med before bedtime is a good way to relax for sleep.  It's also great that you have diazepam for sleep. Sleeping is an important factor for heeling. 

All the roller coaster ups and down we go thru for better mobility and less pain in the long run is well worth all your efforts now. Your hip will be strong & get you on your way for years to come!

9

Oh it is slow at the start - sounds like you are having a textbook recovery to me.

Swolen legs, some scar pain, groin and buttock pains, twitching, spasms, 'concrete leg', leg length differences due to pelvic swelling, feet at funny angles, wonky penguin walking are all part of a 'normal' recovery, but they shouls all get better - just never as fast as we think we should.

See my website for my blogs, advice and tips from the hippies on this forum, the address is in my personal info here ...

   https://patient.info/forums/profiles/rocketman-sg6uk-907025

and on the moderator's "useful resources" page at

   https://patient.info/forums/discuss/thr-useful-resources-487147

Best wishes

Graham - 🚀💃

10

Hi Suzi, you're doing good, first 4-6 weeks are the hardest. I couldn't lift my leg onto the bed or anywhere else at 4 weeks, used an exercise strap or crutch to lift it onto the bed. Do your exercises and walk, I used one crutch opposite side for 8 weeks at least on walks. Walk the dog every day, getting back up to about a mile a day. I'm almost 4 months post op and feeling good, getting stronger, it just takes a while. You should begin to see steady improvement if you're doing your exercises and walking. Stay positive you are still short time, wish you a steady recovery. Be careful at this stage of your recovery, try to think before you move, slow and easy. Don't try to move or kick something with surgery leg! I found out the hard way that was a bad idea. In pain for a week. This was probably at 8-10 weeks. But it healed and feeling better all the time.

11

Hi Suzi, I am in Oz and enjoyed reading your blog. I had an anterior right hip replacement in 24 October, so nearly at 4 weeks. I felt great weeks 1 and 2, hardly any pains etc, just very tired and tightness down my leg front and back. Well, coming up week 4 I have developed groin pain almost as bad as pre op arthritis pain (which was an unstable hip sensation I was having). I have tried to get about daily but still need 2 crutches....but worried about that because most people talk only of using 1 crutch or walking stick. I can stand still and weight bear but not weight bear while walking

I don't fell like after care instructions are good enough.....they say do exercises and walk, walk, walk.....well I think I did too much walking today and am now back on the bed in pain. I have to wait until 9 Dec to see surgeon again. It makes me wonder if he is going to say......' oh, didn't somebody tell you to do/not to do that?'

It's great to read how others are coping. Anyone still using 2 crutches after 3 weeks?

12

hi suzie ,

ditto on all the responses ... you are right on track and doing very well ...

this journey is like a roller coaster ride, ups and many downs, physically, emotionally and yes, also spiritually ... in other words: It takes time for the body, mind, and soul to recover from this invasive operation....

Swelling around scar and leg is common after a hip replacement . This is the normal process of healing and can last for several weeks to month -

Elevating your legs at night and wearing compression stockings during the day will help.

Deep aches and swelling in the hip can persist for quite some time because bone, a living tissue, continues to re-model and adapt around the metal implants. This increased metabolic activity can lead to lingering soreness and swelling after activity, all of which will disappear with time. .

however, suzie, you mention that both your legs, operated and unoperated ones, are very swollen and LED stockings do not fit ... 

I remember bizillions trips to the toilet all day and especially during the night ... I did have swelling in operated leg until 4 weeks - started upper thigh and going down, lingering around ankle for weeks .... is it getting worse?  

don't try the straight leg lift yet ... healing is taking place where muscles, tendons etc, very cut - still very fragile, darling ...

Recovery from THR surgery invloves the whole body - suddenly you have to learn how to walk again - you are aware how different it feels and it is so easy to fall back in old habits - you know, the one pre-surgery where your body try to find the less painful way - sometimes it is the position of a foot that compensated for the pain, or a limp, or walking bend over ... 

congratulations on sleeping well !!!!   

try not to compare yourself with others and be very kind and gentle with yourself as well - allow your body to heal at her own speed ..

one more thing : maybe make an appointment with your doctor regarding the swelling - just to get some peace of mind ...

big warm hug

renee

13

Hi Ann

​You really need to be less tough on yourself.I've not even finished week 2 yet, but if there is one thing I have learned from people here and elsewhere, it is that everyone has a different journey; and you can't compare yourself to others. And, in fact, you also just need to be a bit cautious of what you read here! Not because it isn't all true - quite the reverse. But posts can go through phases. When I first found this board back in September (knowing I had to have a hip replacement - my hip bone had collapsed and with crumbling away) I wondered what on earth I was going to face, because almost every post was full of dire consequences and awful experiences of hip replacement. If you check back my posting history to my first post, you'll see that the board scared me more than the op did! Of course, in some ways, there will be some worrying posts from peoples whose experiences aren't as good - because (a) there are some people that is true for, and (b) the sorts of people who are likely to be attracted to a site like this will be the ones who have something to worry about (even if it's nothing really!). When I found the forum I was in dire straights too, although for a different reason pre-op, and was looking for information.

​So you might "overdo" it sometimes - ten days out and even I have managed that already! All it does is provide you with a timely and painful hint not to do that again! We all have to experiment with what our personal limits are, and what we can and can't manage, and there is no exact science. I've been doing way beyond my wildest dreams since surgery - but that doesn't mean that it is all plain sailing or that there won't be rough times when it seems to go backwards. I have to be ready for those times and press on.

I can't see anything in what you are saying that I haven't heard from others before. But if you are genuinely worried, then talk to your GP / doctor; or talk to the hospital team and/or physio.

​And look on the bright side. It's spring, coming up for summer, where you are. I was out walking in the snow​ yesterday, and believe me, it was anything but fun! I was orginally planning this op for next spring (when it was just arthritis), but circumstances decided otherwise, so what I would give for a recovery period with sunshine and warmth...

14

Thanks Beth, I enjoyed reading your reply and agree with you about everyone has a different journey to their recovery, I guess I just felt that there was a real lack of rehab info after leaving hospital. My surgeon just told me to 'walk', which I am trying to do, a little more each day but obviously today I overdid it. Please be careful you don't overdo it. The thing is, you feel fine and think you will push yourself a bit more but no, take it easy. Sorry to read you are coping with the onset of winter and snow....you must be up the north of UK? My son lives in Hampshire and he hasn't had snow yet. Keep warm and toasty and I hope you recover well, safely and quickly!

15

Hi Suze,

I'm now 6 weeks post op and can empathise with much of what you have said. I agree that you feel a little 'cast adrift' leaving hospital. I haven't had any worrying complications but I agree , I would feel a little uncertain as to who to turn to if I had.

I have experienced swelling, particularly in the operated leg, which makes the skin tight and uncomfortable around the leg above and around the knee. I think that happened around 3-5 weeks. That is slowly easing now for me.

I find it amazing reading the different exercise patterns people have been given. Why is there no consistency at all ?

Be interested to hear how far you are walking and the kind of daily exercise you are undertaking.

I hope you are able to get professional advice about some of the issues worrying you. Sometimes 5 mins with them might ease some of your worries.....which brings us back to your original point about support following discharge from hospital.

Best wishes...

Rob...

16

Yes, I am in the northern Pennines. You could get a bit higher than me, but not by much! I was hyping for a mild winter, but all the forecasts say it will be a harsh one and snow already is unusual. That said, they've not got a great record of predicting the weather the day after tomorrow....!

I think the problem is that "walk" plus do your exercises, is alk they can tell you. How far is up to the individual recovery. To be honest, for me, I am confident that the hip could go a lot further than I do, but I have some problems with three ankle on the other side that restrict me a bit - if it weren't for that I could probably throw the crutches away. I can manage short distances in the house without any support, but it always feels to be the ankle that is stopping me.

You just take it a step at a time and you'll get there. Good luck!

17

I have a 24 hour hotline number for scary issues, and a daytime advice line number for small queries, plus a number for physio queries. Is this not common? The crease says we can call anytime after surgery, seven months later, if we are really worried about something.

18

Oops again - it's a card not a crease!

19

Thanks for encouraging message ,will keep exercising ,glute squeazes seem to be quite easy luckily and do them whilst watching tv 👍

20

Thanks Kevin 

will keep up with exercises ,but afraid dr took me off anti inflamatories as he said I shouldn't have been on apixaban and ibuprofen at the same time ! Even though that's what the hospital had prescribed me and sent me home to continue taking . Can't believe hospital made a mistake surely . 

She also said ibuprofen was what was encouraging swelling ! 

Finish my apixaban in a couple of days so might try some ibuprofen I bought from the chemist myself ,as he would not let me have them on my prescription.

Were you on apixaban ( blood thinner ) for a month after hip op . ?